Antifillim device foe bottles



(No Model.) 1

3.33333 ANTIFILLING DEVICE FOR BOTTLES,:-&0.

Patented Nov. Ty 1893.

Uwrrno STATES P TENT OFFICE.

ELI S. REE D, OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO A. J. STOOPS, OF SAME PLACE.

'ANTIFILLING DEVICE FOR BOTTLES, 80c.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 508,342, dated November *7, 1893. Application filed December 21, 1892. Serial No. 455,907- (No model.)

I To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELI S. REED, a citizen of the Unlted States, residing at Chattanooga,

in the county of Hamilton and State of Ten-;

-ine article for which the bottle was especially designed, prepared and constructed.

The invention also contemplates other use-' ful objects and purposes, and it consists'in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts, substantially as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the annexed drawings illustrating my invention: Figure 1 is a vertical section of a bottle provided withmy improved anti-filling devlce. Fig. 2 is a detail top planview of' said device. 1 7

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in the different figures.

denotes a bottle, jar, demi-john or other similar receptacle of any desired size and shape and made of any material and designed to contain any desired liquid or article. The

bottle A, which is presented merely as an example, has the neck A of the usual style.

It is to be borne-in mind that in many industries using bottles or similar receptacles, special bottles are prepared to contain the liquidor other manufacture and these bottles are specially designed, shaped and marked so that they come to be readily known by the consumer and are easily distinguishable from other bottles containing adifferent class of goods. This is notably the ease with many kinds of liquors. This practice of using a specially designated bottle has, however, opened the way to fraud and imposition, because parties desiring to deceive will, after emptying the bottle of their original genuine contents, refill them with an inferior, worthless grade of liquids, quite different from and valueless as compared with the original article and thebottles thus refilled are sold again under the pretense that their contents are genuine to unsuspecting purchasers who are deceived by the appearance of the bottle which outwardly appears to be perfectly genuine,

and in this manner the celebrated brandwhich thepurchaser desired to obtain having a mere substitute given therefor, acquires a bad name and suffers an injured reputation. It is to prevent the re-filling of bottles of this character that I have contrived and prepared the present-invention.

Withinthe neck A sufficiently below the top thereof, not to interfere with the inser- Thisplug is preferably made of rubber or other elastic material, although I am not confined to this, but can employ anything else. It is however preferably made of an elastic substance so that it can be crowded tightly into the neck after the bottle has been filled, and when the plug has thus beenplaced in position the annular ribs or ridges thereon at top and bottom will fit tightly into the annular grooves 17 in the neck, as shown, thereby fixing plug B more tightly in place. The plug B contains near the bottom end thereof aball valve C, located within a recess D" which has a small opening'c at its bottom in the lower end of plug B and permitting the recess D to communicate with the interior of 'tionfof the ordinary cork, I place a plug B.

the bottle. The opening'c is smaller than the size of the ball 0, which is adapted either to close said opening by seating itself therein under the action of gravity, as shown in the drawings or to uncover said opening by rolling therefrom into the recess D, a result which takes place when the position of the bottle is reversed. The ball C is therefore loosely placed. It may be of hard rubber or of any other suitablematerial.

D denotes a curved vertical passage extending from the top of plug B to a point near the bottom thereof where its lower end d connects with the recess D near the openingc. The lower end d of passage D is accordingly considerably below the upper part of the recess D so that any liquid poured into the upper end of passageD will enter the recess D and fill it above the ball 0 and instead of removing the latter from its seat the weight of said liquid will bind it more closely upon its seat in the opening 0. It will be observed moreover that the wall of the bottle neck A is provided at several points (any number) with lateral perforations a a so that if by any possibility the intending fraudulent user of the bottle should dislodge the plug B by pushmg it inward or otherwise, he will thereby render the bottle useless, because its neck will then be full of unclosed perforations through which the liquid or fluid will quickly run if the bottle should be put into use.

represents a vent tube. It is a long tube of suitable diameter and extending from the bottom of bottle A to a point above the plug B; Thus the vent tube E is carried by plug B, running through the latter, the portion which lies within the plug being bent or curved in: order that the tube may be more fixedly connected to the plug and less likely tobe" withdrawn therefrom. The upper end of vent tube E is located just below the ordinary stopper which will be placed in the mouth of the bottleneck. It will be obviousen'bugh without explanation that liquid cannot be successfully introduced into the bottle throughthe vent tube and that the latter will perform only the ordinary function of such a tube in permittingafree outflow of the liquid within thebottle A through passage-D when desirelL- The tube E is so placed in plug B in any desired manner,

as not to interfere with passage Dor recess- D.- It; can be fixed in its position in plug B ping can be made in sections and the tube placed between them before they are put to gether:

Fromthe foregoing description, the useas well as the-arrangement and construction of and permitsaid liquid to flow'out' through the myimproved anti-filling device'willbe clearly nnnerstooda The bottle will first be filled with the desired liquid or flnid, as for instance, a choice brand of whisky, and then the'valve-provided plug will be fixed" immovably in the neck of the bottle. Wheneverit is=desired to-empty outa partof the contents of t'he'bottle, it will be lifted up with reversed positiongwhichwill cause the valve 0 to-drop front seat 0 into recess D fi'owof liquid throughpassage D. Now after the bottle has been entirely emptied, it canand if preferred the and permitan out not be refilled because whenever such a thing 5 is attempted the ball-valve C will be found to be tightly closing the entrance 0 to the bottle A, and as access to said ball C, cannot be had from the outside by reason of the curvature of passage D, all admission of liquor into the bottle is eflectually prevented. Thus my mproved device fulfills the purpose for which it was intended, and prevents the re-use of the bottles with inferior goods.

Having thus'described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with the bottle neck, provided with the lateral openings, of an elastic plug situated in said neck and held in place by means of annular ribs and grooves, said plug being provided with a recess near its bottom end and a curved vertical passage extending from thetop of the-plug, to a point near the said recess where the lower end (2 of i said passage is considerably below the upper part of the said recess so that any liquid pouredintotheupper end of the passage will enter the recess and bind the valve'therein more closely upon its seat, together with said valve, substantially as described.

2. An anti'filling device for bottles and the like, consisting in the combination with a bottle neck having lateral perforations and annular grooves, of the elastic plug B having annular ribs that fit into said grooves and having also the lower recess D with opening 0 and the curved vertical passage D extending from the't-opofthe plug toa pointncar the bottom thereof where its: lower end: connects with said recess; said lowerend being below the upper partofi the*recess,- substantially as described,iand the bath G located within the recessand movableth'erein' so as to permit an outflowof liquid whi'clr will project it into the upper part of the" recess vertical curved passage, but will prevent the inflow of liquid which will bind the valve moreclosely upon its seat-,all'substantiaily as described.

In testimony whereof I affi'xmy signatu re in presence of two'w-itnessesi ELI S. REED. Witnesses:

J M. TALnNi, W. L. RIDER. 

